A 26-year-old man from Hitchin has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm in connection with a serious assault in the town.

Detectives are now appealing for witnesses and information following the incident in Market Place, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, May 15.

At around 1.26am, an altercation between two men arose, which resulted in a man in his 20s being hit in the face with a full bottle of vodka by the other man.

The bottle smashed as a result, and the victim suffered cuts to his face as well as an injury to one of his eyes. He was taken to hospital for treatment.

The offending male was also with a woman at the time of the assault, and they both left the scene in the direction of Bucklesbury.

Investigating officer DC Nathalia Smith said: “We believe that a male member of the public tried to intervene and help the victim so we need to trace this person as soon as possible, as he will have valuable evidence that will help our investigation. If this was you please contact me.

“We also think that there could have been many other people in the town at that time, who either witnessed the attack or who may have other information. If you can help, please get in touch.”

Those with information should report it to Herts police, either directly to DC Smith at nathalia.smith@herts.police.uk, online at herts.police.uk/report or by calling 101, quoting crime reference 41/35782/21.

Alternatively, you can stay anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.